Preview

The two charismatic former front men (T Carthy and Glen Latouche) of the original reggae folk fusion band Edward II bring their latest project to venues across the UK. Having entertained audiences in all four corners of the globe, guaranteeing spontaneous dancing everywhere from Bombay to San Francisco, they are experts in pulling a crowd to their feet and keeping them there.

After Edward II split in November '99, Alton Zebby (Edward II's superb drummer) emigrated to Ethiopia as part of the pre-millennium Rastafarian exodus and has remained there to this day. Although Glen went to Africa for a short time he returned to the UK inspired and refreshed with a renewed desire to perform, and after initial rehearsals formed 'T & Latouche'.

Keeping it live, T & Latouche is a six piece band also featuring Gavin Sharp (sax & keys) and John Hart (Guitar and Trombone), both formerly of the classic Edward II line-up, and have developed a roots sound tied together by strong melody, sweet harmony, bubbling guitar and blistering brass hooks. Performing a mixture of originals from their forthcoming debut album and classic reggae tracks by the likes of Dennis Brown, Bob Marley and Maxi Priest, these two legends of the live music circuit are returning to their roots in style!

Review

'Have we lost some of our audience to Glastonbury?' It's a question that's voiced every year around the Cambria Arts HQ water-cooler - we're born worriers. The fact is that the standard of music delivered by T & Latouche was high enough to satisfy any of our regulars who wisely chose to forgo their customary annual weekend of mud, malodorous latrines, dodgy food, and the mind-numbing monotony of the Edgar Broughton Band (Blimey, when did you actually last go to Glastonbury? - Ed.), in favour of the Talbot's infinitely more salubrious environs.

Glen Latouche (lead vocal) and T Carthy (bass and vocals), the two original front-men of fabled folk/reggae fusion pioneers Edward II, have drafted in Gavin Sharp (keyboards, sax) and John Hart (lead guitar, trombone) from that band's original line-up, and with the addition of Elston McKenzie (guitar and vocal) and Australian drum wizard Steve Key, have created a six-piece outfit that's solidly reggae-based, but shot through with elements of soul and funk, all played with a crisp and uncluttered precision and musical understanding that's a joy to witness. At the heart of proceedings is the charismatic Glen Latouche, a man blessed with a voice to die for, as mellow and soulful as melting honey; and when T and Elston join in for choruses, you have a triad of harmony that's as moving and uplifting in its way as, say, the Holmes Brothers - albeit for different reasons. T's bass work is an earthquake-proof foundation, while Elston's classic choppy rhythm guitar makes the perfect foil for John Hart, whose lead guitar work is a copybook exercise in expressive economy - where most other guitarists would automatically overplay, this man will make a simple single note speak volumes. Gavin Sharp alternates between soulful tenor sax and atmospheric keyboard textures, while Steve Key's drumming is rock-steady but virtuosic.

Not for the first time, your reporter's priorities favoured active enjoyment over slavish note-taking - many of the band's superb songs were aired, and they'll be featured on the upcoming debut CD, 'Rhythm Safari' (available soon on the Kadiz label, via Pinnacle), but there were heart-warming covers aplenty, too, of Dennis Brown, Maxi Priest, and Bob Marley (a wah-wah-guitar-driven 'Jammin'', in particular), as well as a take on Van The Man's 'Crazy Love' that sounded a lot like the Atlanta Rhythm Section.

As promised, spontaneous dancing to T & Latouche was impossible to resist. This was a really great night of warm, engaging pop-reggae of the highest order, of which a number of punters remarked 'Best band for ages!' and similar plaudits. All that, and no-one had to stand in a muddy queue to buy an overpriced beanburger. Glastonbury or The Talbot? No contest ...